


The Fight

by samuelbyrnes



Series: Paul Rovia Appreciation Week 2019 [7]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fix-It, Paul Rovia Appreciation Week, Paul Rovia Appreciation Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-26 00:39:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18272291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samuelbyrnes/pseuds/samuelbyrnes
Summary: Paul follows Daryl up the stairs and into the room Connie initially lead them to. They both stop, Paul rocking on his heels as he watches Daryl seem to psyche himself up for something. He's pretty sure he's going to hate whatever's going to come out of Daryl's mouth, but the archer did have a point. He really won't be too much help with his body still recovering, but he'd rather be out here with Daryl rather than locked in a closet like something burdensome and useless.For the Paul Rovia Appreciation Week 2019 over on Tumblr.





	The Fight

**Author's Note:**

> ...So, the last prompt on the list was "Fix It", which one assumes it would be a fix-it fic of the clusterfuck disaster that was the mid-season finale. Since I already did that (which you can find [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16770040)) and since I also don't want to rehash those specific feelings/emotions, I'm choosing to Fix-It Fic the fight with Beta. Because having Daryl _and_ Jesus fighting Beta would be hella badass and honestly it's what should've happened in the canon!verse, but a certain someone chose to squander all that for supposed shock value. So fuck it. I [made an edit](https://saintdixie.tumblr.com/post/183373971870/just-imagine-for-a-moment-that-we-flip-the) and wrote this, so it's all good.

"You two, with me." Daryl turns and whistles sharply. "Dog."

Lydia looks a little dubious, but follows Daryl. Paul frowns, sparing a look at Connie and Henry before also following. He shoots Daryl a look when the other takes them to a sort of tool shed/closet thing. Lydia balks when Daryl gestures for her to go inside it, shaking her head vehemently. 

"Hell no," she says. "I want to help." 

Daryl sighs, shoulders twitching. "Look, kid, y' don't wanna fight 'em an' I get that," he says, "but stayin' out here means someone's gonna have t' watch out fer ya an' we can't be havin' any distractions." 

Lydia ducks her head, shame-faced. She quietly enters the room, Dog bounding in after her. Paul blinks when Daryl then looks at him, brows raising. Paul scowls, shaking his head as well. 

"No way in hell," he says. 

Daryl matches Paul's scowl. "Yer still recoverin'," he counters. "I ain't riskin' ya rippin' yer stitches or havin' t' worry 'bout yer reckless ass." 

"You like it when I'm reckless," Paul retorts, smirking, "but more to the point, you know locking me up isn't going to work. I'm just going to escape and join you as soon as I can, which, given the state of this closet, won't take me long at all." 

Daryl's jaw works, fingers tight on the closet door. "We ain't got time fer this shit," he growls. "Jus' get in the closet an' stay quiet til I come back." 

"He could help you fight Beta," Lydia says quietly. She backs up a few steps when Daryl frowns at her. "You can't fight him alone and expect to win against him. He'll kill you. Maybe..." She swallows thickly; "maybe having someone else will help." She shrugs, looking away from Daryl. 

Daryl's quiet for many long minutes; finally, he sighs roughly. He glowers at a grinning Paul, softening just a bit before looking at Lydia. 

"Keep quiet," he says. "Dog'll keep ya safe. I'll be back t' let ya out." He goes to close the door, but pauses. "If ya really do wanna fight, I don't doubt that you can get yerself outta here." He looks directly at her. "Be safe." 

Lydia nods, murmuring a soft, "Thank you." 

Daryl looks at her, and bobs his head. He then closes and locks the door, then turns and stalks off, leaving Paul to hurry after him. Paul follows Daryl up the stairs and into the room Connie initially lead them to. They both stop, Paul rocking on his heels as he watches Daryl seem to psyche himself up for something. He's pretty sure he's going to hate whatever's going to come out of Daryl's mouth, but the archer did have a point. He really won't be too much help with his body still recovering, but he'd rather be out here with Daryl rather than locked in a closet like something burdensome and useless. 

He blinks when Daryl turns to him, frowning lightly at the determined look on the archer's face. 

"Ain't gonna be an easy fight," he says, "an' I know y' wanna help, but I ain't riskin' y' rippin' yer stitches, so we're gonna compromise, a'right?" He pauses, waiting for Paul to nod slowly before continuing; "Keep outta sight, watch m' back, an' don't do nothing stupid." 

Paul quirks a brow. "You have met me, right?" he asks. 

Daryl growls a soft, "Damnit, Paul." He moves forward a few steps, then stops. "I don't wanna be distracted by wonderin' if yer gonna do yer ninja stealth shit an' get hurt doin' it." 

"If it means saving you from getting hurt or killed, you can't stop me," Paul says, frowning. "I'll stay out of the way and keep an eye on you, but I'll be damned if I have to stand by and watch you die because you're worried about me hurting myself." 

Daryl scowls fiercely and opens his mouth to say something, but a noise a few floors below causes him to snap his mouth closed. He and Paul share a look before Paul moves, barely making a sound despite the heavy boots he's wearing. He finds a good enough spot where he can observe the fight, yet also jump in should he need to. He hears the sounds of fighting several floors below, the quick, hurried footfalls climbing up the stairs. He unsheathes his knives, gripping them tight as he crouches low. He can just barely make out the shadow of Daryl, bow hoisted and aimed, ready to fire on whoever dares to come through the door. The footfalls slow, then quiet and a hush falls, as though the world is holding it's breath. A breeze flutters the plastic around them, creating an eerie, tense atmosphere and Paul can't help the shiver that runs down his spine. 

He hears the creak of the flood seconds before the door bursts open and the tall, imposing figure of Beta appears, four other Whisperers following behind him. They all duck behind the upended table as Daryl fires his bow, the bolt whizzing past them to land in the drywall. The four Whisperers scatter, disappearing behind the plastic coverings while Beta stalks over to Daryl. Daryl turns and disappears further into the building and Paul spares a look at Beta before also turning and slipping through the torn plastic. He manages to get the drop on one of the Whisperers, coming up behind them and gripping their chin as he plunges a knife in their head. He eases the body down before taking the knife out and moving on. The second Whisperer goes down like the first, quick and quiet. The third is taken out by Daryl, and it's not as quiet. He hears plastic rustling and something being swung and plunged into a body, the barely there crunch of bone lost under the screaming and the sound of a body falling. 

Paul's own shout gets lost in the screaming, the last Whisperer coming up behind him in an attempt to stab him in the back. He stumbles, flash images of that fateful night running through his mind, but unlike then, he had upgraded his armor to cover his back, so the knife thunked uselessly against it. He spins, ducking away from another jab as he forces his breathing to calm. _Now is **not** the time to be panicking_, he tells himself as he dances away from the Whisperer. They trade blows as Paul gets his head back together, finally surprising the Whisperer by ducking low and kicking out. The move causes the Whisperer to stumble and fall, knife skittering away from them. They try to scramble for the knife, but Paul's quicker, pinning them down and plunging his knife in their head. He yanks his knife out, letting the head thump to the floor as he stands, breathing heavy. The last vestiges of panic creep at the corners of his mind and he forcefully shoves it down as he looks around for Daryl and Beta. 

He finds them near the open elevator shaft, Beta holding Daryl down against a table saw, the archer's neck hovering dangerously over the blade. Beta's murmuring something to Daryl, but Paul's too far to hear what it is. He does see the way Daryl's body freezes, sees how much closer the blade gets to slicing his neck open. He sees the minute way Beta widens his stance, crowding and boxing Daryl in in such a way that has Paul seeing red. He doesn't think when he moves, letting a knife drop carelessly as he jumps onto Beta's back, intending to stab the taller man in the head. He curls an arm around Beta's neck as the man jerks, the motion making Paul miss his mark and instead, slices over the man's cheek. Beta lets out a bellow, one hand grasping tight to the arm Paul has around his neck as he stumbles back, away from Daryl. Paul winds his legs around Beta's waist, gritting his teeth against the pain in his arm and shoulder, holding on as tight as he can. Rather than try another attempt at the head, Paul instead plunges his knife into Beta's chest, causing the man to let out another bellow. Seconds later, they're falling, the sudden pain of being crushed between the floor and another body causing Paul to loose his grip, breath gasping out of him. Dazed, Paul blinks at the ceiling, trying to get his lungs to work. He hears his knife being dropped, then a surprised grunt and stumbling footsteps. There's a hissed curse, then nothing...until the unmistakable sound of a body hitting metal. 

In the ensuing silence, Paul stares at the ceiling, wondering, _hoping_ that the fall was enough to kill Beta. It would be one less thing for them to worry about. He startles a little when Daryl appears in his vision, frowning at the dark scowl on the other man's face. He yelps when he's being unceremoniously jerked upright, wincing when it jostles all the new (and old) aches and pains. He settles in as Daryl goes and gets the first aid box from Connie's stash, then coming back and kneeling before Paul. He puts the box down roughly, pulling it open and rummaging through it, still scowling fiercely. He gets what he needs out of the box before finally turning to Paul, expression softening just a little. 

"The hell were ya thinkin'?" He reaches out to tug at Paul's armor, getting it off him before yanking at his clothes, exposing his shoulder and pressing gauze against the open wound. 

Paul hisses, clenching his eyes shut briefly before opening them to frown at Daryl. "I was thinking that he was about to slice your neck wide open," he says, glancing over at the table saw, then back to Daryl. "I couldn't just sit back and watch that happen." 

"So, you jump on his back like some damn knife-wieldin' monkey an' get thrown around," Daryl says, tossing aside the used gauze and grabbing another. He tapes it down before shifting behind Paul to do the same on the other side. "Y' went an' busted yer stitches an' prob'bly bruised the shit outta yer ribs." 

"Probably lucky they're not cracked or broken," Paul says, lifting his chin when Daryl frowns deep. "They're not, but still. It was worth doing to keep you from dying." 

For a brief moment, it looks like Daryl wants to say something, but then he ducks his head, shoulders slumping. He pokes at the supplies before putting everything still usable back into the box and closing it up. He ignores the used supplies as he helps Paul redress, tying the armor securely to him. Bemused, Paul lets Daryl help him, taking the helping hand as he stands on slightly wobbly legs. They make it back down to where the others are, blinking in surprise when he sees Lydia and Dog among them. Lydia gives them a small smile, one arm wrapped tightly around Henry, who had one thigh wrapped in rudimentary bandages. He frowns when he sees Daryl and Paul looking at him. 

"I'm fine," he says, straightening some and wincing. "Where are we going now?" 

"Alexandria," Daryl replies immediately. "It's the closest place t' get ya both stitched up." 

"We can't go there," Henry protest. "If Lydia's people find out we went there, everyone..." 

But Daryl interrupts, saying, "We ain't stayin'. We'll get ya both fixed up, then move on." He looks over at Lydia, bobbing his head. "All of us." 

Lydia tilts her head, curious. "So, where are we going again?" she asks. 

"Alexandria," Daryl repeats, quirking a small smile. "Yer world's 'bout t' get a whole lot bigger, kid." 

Paul blinks, then he's laughing, enough that he has to lean against Daryl or fall to the floor. He hears Daryl snort, feels an arm wrap around his waist securely. It sends warmth through Paul's body, sighing as his laughter subsides.

**Author's Note:**

> ...I can't be the only one that saw the parallel in the actual words Daryl said in the episode to what Jesus said to the group in Season 6, right?


End file.
